Milling machine



Aug. 24, 1943. F W CURT|S A 2,327,404

MILLING MACHINE Filed July 15, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet l l nl y . Il fl INVENTOR Q/w MC1/PNJ BY s# fu, ATTORNEYS Aug 24, 1943- F. W. cum-ls 2,327,404

MILLING MACHINE Filed July l5, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 7km/Af M60/PNJ BY v 9 ATTORNEYS Aug.24,1943. F. w. uns 2,327,404

MILLING MACHINE INVENTOR Aug. 24, 1943. F. w. CURTIS MILLING MACHINE Filed July l5, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 :NVENTOR BY W' SLM ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 24, 1943 MILLING Madama Frank W. Curtisfspringelgl, assigner(to'r Van Norman Machine "Tool ,Companyg'pringl- `afield, Masaya .corporation ofjMassacliusetts .Applicatiomsuly .15., 1941;.;seria1 roes-.79.

voisines. (ci. sli-.rn

rThis invention-relates rto niiilingvmachinesand particularly to vertical spindle, Vram type milliers.

- Oneobjectof the present invention-is .to-provide an improved yrarnstructure which because of its arrangement-of contrcllevers permits great facility of adjustment of the speed of the spindle and of its Vposition yrelative to the work support. A-further object Yis to provide a ramwhich though suitable forheavy dutyl cutting at'variousjspeeds is `exceedingly compact. An additional object-'vis to provide vanimprovedlcounterloalance to aid-in smooth adjustment Vof the spindle `relative to the Work. Another object is to provide an improved depth stop forlimiting thearnonntwhich-the spindle can'be adjusted towards the work. lAn

additional object is to provide a belt gua-rd 'ar-y ranged toY cooperate in a novel manner withha main clutch-brake unit to provide forbrakingvof the spindle.

How I attain 'the forego-ing aridadditional` cojects will` be clear from a reading of the ,following specication taken in conjunction with the accompanying'drawing -in which:

`vFig. 1 isa perspective view of a milling machine embodying ,my invention;

' Fig. 2 is a perspective View, of a'portion Kof the strncture of Fig; 1. but .taken at adiferent angle to show additionalfeatures; y

Fig. 3 is .an enlarged side elevationof the V11am but with certain parts broken away in theinterest of clearness;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section substantially Online 4-.4 billig. 3;

Fig. 5 is. a vertical sectionA through the 4spirnile. carrier;

' Fig.' 6 is ahorizontal section online 6-3-6 of Fig. 3; and

Eig. 'lis aside elevation on line 1 1 of Fig'. 6. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the miiimgrmachine shown consists of a .base 9 from which arises a column I on which is supported for vertical reciprocation on ways Il a knee 17,2. Carried'iorv reciprocation on the knee as on `ways I3 is a saddle I4 which inturn supports a table'l reciprocably mountedon ways IB at right angl@ i0 by :means of:v a 'lineems'crewA .centained-.twithinsa telas-coping casing 2ilia.saddlescrewilnotishown) andfa'. table.screw:` f Gontrolof ithe. power feed for 'fthe knee. saddleiand-iable fmay :loeobtained by controlilevers .`23:24,\=and 25 respectively; vinile manuaL2 adjustments of;v @these =members i l may-.iba acoomplishedby- .hand cranks 26,2 EL and .it

l At 'thetop' column' :104is`provideelowithtways 29 on'l Whi'chl fisssl'ipported:.-forx recipnccaticm. ai 30. Suitable rack andpinion-mechanismlis.cartied .by '.th'e ecolumn. andv ram ifori. adjustment, of tnealatter.. along Ways:.:2.9,l.a.zshait Sileprotijuding fromthe,colnmnandproyidediwith alsquarecl fend forthe reception .oflacrankiforloperationef the mechanism ,beingl indicated. :rcRam i binders indicated...generally. at: 32 iaremrovided -to .seoureLthe ramiintsladjusted position.

.*Ihefmechanism carriedby.,theeizamiincludesta prime.v mover: 13 31,-herarshownas an :electric motor, suitably; counledetda; speed changing transmission indicatedgenerallyvatl; Figs; 1.and12 ,-1 and coupled to drive a spindle 35 supportedufc-rfrollak tion .im anomale-carmen 3.6. w'lliis: last member is'ivertically.-:reciprocablaornwaysrLontheafliont cmthefrann andi,l .as:..wi1l. ib'eiexnlainediini detail. thaspndle mayibeadiustedi axially. bylacliusting the carrier,on.:theL Ways akirneans. turbe; described being provided: to.. .clamp the. carriera-11mm; ad.- jus-ted position. i sniadditlon; the, Vsp,eg edy 'cf2 rotation @f the spindle; 3 5v fmay.` beevaried by sana-my adiustingthe transmission 3.4.

rzReferring.A now1 to fEigst; ,4.and;6, the ;r,am..8) is formed. at the tears with.: parallel;u side;-V walls 6.0 andiM. Near.3the1 forward:.end1off'the ram; Wall lois displaced lateral-baas atzaanda transverse web or partition 43 provided. Between the-side Walls as longitudinali web-lori partition.. lfraiflellds from :Wehf43 vtortille front .walk 45.A oiitlie...r.am. :uns is pliinrfrornj Eig (i3-this oonstrnctionresults; in theiffo'fward .endoiithe .ramihaving aimainlbody portiorriforrnedzby walls Alfa-nd :45.\ .and, webs.;43

anch. and. `a laterally;oiIsetpolllDn f formed by wallslz andiSandwebsiandi The speed. changer transmission.- is-carried in theA mainibodysportioniand consistsoi; a-.primary Sharif in; .ii/nicnas. aY-.houow splines-sham is. extended beyond the side wall dizofthefralllL-arnd.

ries-friction platesf 52 nesting-.withcomplementary plates 52 into engagement with the complemen` tary plates on pulley 53 to thereby drive shaft.

41. At its opposite end collar 55 is provided with studs 59 extending through holes in the transverse portion of the collar 55 and supporting a spider E3, springs 6| permitting the spider to shift towards the collar. Spider Si! has suitably secured thereto a clutch facing 63 adapted to be engaged with a friction member 6d provided on the inner surface of a belt guard 55 when thecollar 55 is shifted axially away from pulley 53. Thus if collar 55is shiftedtowards pulley 53 from the position shown, the motor will drive shaft 41 while if the collar is shifted away from pulley 53 from the position shown, facing 63 and friction member 64 will engage and lock shaft 41 against rotation. When the transmissionV is coupled to drive the spindle this last action will act as a brake for the'spindle.

To shift collar, a rod S ext-ending axially through shaft 41 is fixed at o-ne end to collar 55 and provided at its opposite end with rack teeth 59. Rack teeth G9 are engaged by a gear 15 carried on a vertical shaft 1| which in turn is coupled in a well known manner through horizontal plunger 'l2 (Fig. 3) and gear 13 to a stub shaft extending through the top plate of the ram. Abo-ve the ram, shaft 15 has attached thereto a handle l5 which vextends forwardly of the ram for convenient manual operation of the'clutchbrake unit. f l Shaft 41 is splined as shown and carries a shiftable cluster gear consisting of gears 18, 19, and 8! adapted to ybe selectively engaged with gearsSI,v

82, and 83 of a cluster unit splined for rotation with intermediate shaft 48. ,Final drive shaft 49, which is journaled as shown in wall 4i and web 44, has splined to it a cluster gear unitcornprising gears 84, 85, and 56 which are adapted to be selectively engaged withgears 81, 82, and S8 of the cluster gear unit on the intermediate shaft 4S. Thus, nal drive shaft 4S may be driven at anyv one of nine different speeds by suitable shiftingcf the clustergear units on shafts 41 and 49.

For shifting cluster gears 'IS-86 and 3.4-5.5 a

mechanism shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and is provided. Fastened to one end of a shaft ed journaled in the ram is a handle'Qi. tits opposite end shaft St has fixed thereto a gear 92` which thro-ugh gear 53, engaged as shown with a vertical plunger 9d, can shift this Vplunger axially.

At its` lower end plunger @d carries rack teeth which `engage .complementary teeth on. a, short shaft 95 journaled horizontally in the ram.V A spur gear SE is keyed to this shaft andfengages rack teeth on a shifter 91 engaging clusterrgear unit 1li-BQ. Thus the gear of cluster gear 1S|l can be selectively engaged with the gears on the intermediate shaft by rocking handle 9! about shaft 9i] as an axis.

For shifting cluster gear 812-85, aV short shaft 3 journaled vertically in the ram carries fixed at one end thereof a handle 99 andat its opposite` Pulley 53 is driven as by V belts 54 f gear srl-ss.

end a gear i 58 which through a gear I 0| meshing With rack teeth on the upper end of a vertical shaft |62, may cscillate the latter. At its lower end, shaft 552 has rack teeth engaging complementary rack teeth in the forward end of a horizontal plunger |53 journaled as indicated in the ram. At its back end, plunger |03 through suitable rack teeth engages with a sleeve |34 mounted for rotation on shaft 95. Keyed to sleeve |64 is a gear |55 which meshes with a shifter'la journaled in the ram as shown and engaging cluster By swinging handle 99 in a horizontal plane, cluster gear 8&1-86 can be selectively engaged with the gears on intermediate shaft 4&3.

Referring to Figs. 4 to 6, the nnal drive shaft i9 of the transmission extends from the main .body portion of the ram through the opening in web 4d into the offset portion and carries a bevel Vgear lIIii meshing with a complementary bevel gear I I I having a long hub I i2 and journaled ver- A tically in the ram as indicated. Slidably received within the hub of gear I I and splined to the gear is a Vertical shaft H3 journaled parallel to spindle 35 in bearings |14 in a gear case ||5 secured to the upper end of the body portion I I6 of the spindle carrier. The spindle is journaled at its ends and at an intermediate point in suitable bearings I I1, I it and I E 9 carried in the gear case I i5 and body portion I i5. At its upper end and within the gear case, the spindle has xed thereto a gear couplet comprising gears |22 and I 23. Splined to the upper end of shaft 3 is a gear couplet consisting of gears 24 and |25 adapted to be selectively engaged with gears |22 and |23 respectively. As is clear, engagement of gears |22 and |24 will give a high speed drive to the spindle while engagement of gears |23 and |25 will give a low speed drive to the spindle. To provide for shifting couplet |24, |25Y a suitable handle |28 (Fig. 3) is carried at one end of a shaft |29 journaled in the gear case. At its opposite end, shaft |29 carries a gear |30 arranged as shown to cscillate a shifter |3| engaging couplet I2ll, |25 and slidable on rods |32. -Thus by shifting handle |23 to adjust couplet |24, |25

the nine speeds available to shaft49 through adjustment of cluster gears 18, 80 and 84, 85 can be raised to eighteen for the spindle.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 6, to adjust the spindle carrier a rack is secured to the body portion IIB adjacent ways 31, and .is engaged by alspur gear |35 formed preferably integrally on one end o-f a shaft |51 journaled transversely of the main body portion of the ram between web 44 and Wall 4|. At its opposite end, shaft |31 has keyed thereto a worm wheel |38 which is in mesh with a worm formed integrally with one end of a shaft iti extending horizontally from the front wall 45 of the ram and journaled in bearings |43. At itsforw'ard end this shaft |4| has fixed thereto a handle 44 for manual operation of the worm.

To counterbalance the weight of the spindle carrier and also limity the amount to which it can be adjusted towards the table', the mechanism shown in Fig. '7 is provided. .A plunger having a head 45 is slidably carried in a bore |45 formed. in the offset portion of the'ram parallel to the spindle, seeFig. 6. At its lower end the plunger is formed with a stem |41 over which is. threaded a pair of nested helical compression springs` |49. 'and |53. As will be apparent from the drawings; thesel `springs tend to press the plunger out of the bore |46 and to force the head |45 against an abutment |5| formed on thebotfcarrier to theposition shown-in Figs. and 7,

which prevents damage-tothe gear casell 4or bearings l M-through-contact-with thetop'of the ram. .Y v u Referring tojliligs. ll and 6,-the lbore extending from'the sidewall ti ci the ram through web 4t and accommodating ,shaft ld is extended out through vthelsidejwall 2f and has mounted therein a` plugVv i e3 forming abearing member for a shaft :i5-l journaled in the plug and provided with an 'eccentric middle portion., The plug-,is provided with atransverse bore in which an eccentric strap i515 may slide. A bolt les is secured to the strap as shown and extends outwardly through the ram and engages theouter face of gib ll. By swinging a handle H58 secured to the protruding end or shaft ltd the gib will bepulled against the front wall of the ram to hold the spindle carrier in adjusted position. By having the spindle binder mounted coaxially with shaft lli), machining of the ram is considerably simplified since at the same time the ram is bored for shaft 49, provision is made for mounting the spindle carrier binder.

One important feature 'of the invention is the arrangement or the ram which results in the provision of the main body portion and the offset portion at the front of the ram. By mounting the transmission with its shafts arranged transversely of the ram and supporting the spindle carrier in the offset portion, the overall length of the ram can be cut down materially. In addition, the transmission shafts can have a relatively short length which results in a very sturdy construction. v

Also as will be apparent iromthe foregoing description, the ram structure disclosed is not only compact and suited for heavy duty but is also exceedingly convenient for the operator because of the location adjacent the front of the ram of three speed controls 9i, Sil, t28', the clutch-brake control 'i6 and the manual spindle carrier ad,- justing handle Md.

I claim:

1. In a milling machine having a base, a column, a ram mounted on the column for reciprocation, said ram comprising a main body. portion extending from the front to the back or" the ram and an offset portion projecting laterally from the main body portion at the front oi the ram, a prime mover carried by the-ram, transmission mechanism mounted in the ram and driven by the prime mover and including a main clutch and a plurality of shiftable change gear units, a spinle carrier supported in said offset portion for reciprocation in a vertical plane laterally displaced from said main body portion, a spindle and a main driver supported in parallel relation in the spindle head forA reciprocation therewith, and in said plane, the axis of said spindle lying beyond the end of the ram and the main driver extending into` the offset portion, gearing connecting the main driver and transmission, shiftable change gears connecting the main driver and spindle, a manual control handle for vertical ad- J justment' ofthe ,spindle 'carrier :and lmountedon the.v front of ,the :rami inplthe main body iportion, la .pluralityV ofim'anual control-handles for shifting Vthevclutch 'and `the change gears of 4said transfmission and mounted'i'n the mainxbody portion with theinprcjectingends extending beyond ythe -ram-and 'closely adjacent ,the first mentioned manual control handle, and a'manual control for 'shifting the change gearsin'thespindle headand -mounted in the sidei of .the spindle carrier Close- ;lyadjacent said rstmentioned Icontrol handle.

`2. `In a milling machine havingabase, a column, a ram'mounted in thecolumn ior. recipro- `cation,a spindle carrierandspindle extending 'beyond the end ofzthe ram andrsupportedonthe ram for reciprocationinfa.direction transverse Ito Ythat of the renna first-variable speedltransmission supported in the :spindie carrier and lcon- `nected yto Vdrive the spindle, .a second variable speed transmission carried -by the ramfand connected to drive the-frst-vtransmissioznl a prime mover carried on the ram,` a mein clutch coupling the prime mover Vandsecond transmission anda plurality of `control levers for -controlling the main clutch Aand for varying the speed oi -the second transmission fand projectingbeyond the ram at one side of the spindle and a control lever for the first transmission projecting from the spindle carrier at the aiorementioned side of the spindle.

3. In a milling machine having a base, a column, and a ram reciprocable on the column, a spindle carrier vertically reciprocable on the ram, a spindle rotatable in the carrier, a splined shaft mounted in the carrier parallel to the spindle, change speed gearing between the shaft and the spindle, a drive shaft in the ram extending horizontally transverse to the ram, gearing coupling the drive shaft and the splined shaft, a prime mover on the ram, and change speed gearing connecting the prime mover and the drive shaft.

ll. In a milling machine having a base, a column, and a ram reciprocable on the column, a spindle carrier vertically reciprocable on the ram, a spindle rotatable in the carrier, a splined shaft mounted in the carrier parallel to the spindle, change speed gearing between the shaft and the spindle, a drive shaft in the ram extending horizontally transverse to the ram, gearing coupling the drive shaft and the splined shaft, a prime mover on the ram, and change speed gearing connecting the prime mover and the drive shaft, a rack on the carrier, a rack-driving shaft parallel to the drive shaft and geared to the rack, an operating shaft extending to the front of the ram, and a worm connection between the operating shaft and the rack-driving shaft.

5.V In a milling machine having a base, a column, a ram mounted on the column for reciprocation, a transverse partition extending between the side walls of the ram adjacent the front thereof, a longitudinal partition extending between the transverse partition and the front Wall of the ram and having a transverse opening adjacent the front wall and axially aligned with a pair of openings in the side walls to thereby form a first and Va second compartment in the front of the ram, a spindle carrier and spindle mounted on said ram for reciprocation in a plane passing through the iirst compartment and parallel to the longitudinal partition, a transmission journaled in said second compartment and including a iinal drive member extending from the second compartment into the rst compartment and 'journaled in the opening in the partition and the opening in one of the side walls, driving connections between the spindle and drive member for rotation of the latter and a spindle carrier binder including a bearing member mounted in the opening in the other side wall and a handle Journaled for rotation on a pivot extending axially through said opening.

6. In a milling machine having a base, a table supported for reciprocation on the base, a column, and a ram reciprocable on the column transversely of the table; a spindle carrier ver- 'tically reciprocable on the ram, a spindle rotatable in the carrier, power means carried by the ram for rotating the spindle, means to adjust the spindle carrier towards and from the table and a plunger journaled for reci-procation in the rarn parallel to the spindle carrier and having an enlarged head at one end, an abutment on the spindle carrier overlying said head, a plurality of concentric nested helical compression springs carried by the ram and threaded on the plunger beneath the head and arranged to resiliently urge the plunger upwardly against the abutment on the spindle carrier during adjust- 25 ment of the carrier towards and from the table.

7. In a milling machine havingra table, a table supported for reciprocation on the base, a column, and a ram reciprocable on the column transversely of the table;v a spindle carrier .vertically reciprocable on the ram, a spindle rotatable in the carrier, power means carried by `the ram for rotating the spindle, means to Vadjust the spindle carrier towards and from the table and 'a plunger journaled-for reciprocation in the ram parallel tothe spindle carrier and having an enlarged head at one end, an abutment on the spindle carrier overlying said head, a plurality of concentric nested helical compression springs carried by the ram and threaded on the plunger beneath the head and arranged to resilien'tly urge the plunger upwardly against the abutment on 

